A teenager is lucky to be alive after police opened fire on him overnight after he pointed what appeared to be a semiautomatic handgun at officers during a stop for a possible curfew violation.
Officers stopped the teen just before midnight as he walked near 51st and Master Streets in West Philadelphia, according to Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small.
“The male suddenly fled on foot and both officers began a foot pursuit,” Small said. “They chased the male for about two blocks when they noticed that the male was running with a gun in his right hand.”
Officers eventually caught up to the suspect on the 500 block of Kershaw Street. That’s where the male allegedly aimed the gun at the officers, according to police.
“One police officer then discharged his weapon,” Small said.
Police didn’t know if they hit the suspect. He got onto a roof along Kershaw Street, police said.
Police called in the helicopter and they found the suspect hiding on a roof. Small said that the male wasn’t shot and he turned out to be 19 years old -- not underage.
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The officers and the suspect weren’t harmed.
Police say it turned out the gun the 19-year-old had on him was actually a pellet gun, not a semi-automatic handgun.
It's unclear what charges the teen will face.
